1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an LED mounting holder used for setting the mounting position for plural diodes mounted on a front panel of an electronic apparatus, or setting the relative mounting height thereof, and a device for mounting the LEDs using such holder.
2. Description of the Prior Art
On a front panel, such as an operating panel, provided on the front side of a variety of electronic apparatuses, a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) are usually arranged as display means for allowing an operator to recognize the current operating state or to prompt the operator's attention.
When LEDs are mounted on the printed circuit board, usually the external connection terminals of the LEDs are introduced into component mounting openings, such as throughholes, bored in the printed circuit board at predetermined mounting positions, such as at LED mounting positions on a front panel, and are soldered in situ for establishing electrical and mechanical connections in a required manner.
Consequently, for mounting plural LEDs by soldering on the printed circuit board for manufacturing an electronic apparatus having the LEDs mounted on its front panel, it is necessary to have the LEDs mounted with predetermined relative positioning and height setting on the printed circuit board prior to the soldering process. This is because the LEDs are finally mounted in position by soldering.
That is, for mounting plural LEDs by soldering on the printed circuit board, it is a frequent practice to pass the printed circuit board, with external connection terminals of the LEDs introduced into the component mounting openings of the printed circuit board, through a soldering bath containing a solder therein in the melted state, for accomplishing the soldering process. In such case, the LEDs need to be held on the printed circuit at the predetermined position and height until the soldering operation comes to an end.
After the LEDs are soldered to the printed circuit board, they are mounted on the front panel of the electronic apparatus along with the printed circuit board. In such case, it is necessary for the LEDs not to become detached from the front panel. Meanwhile, when the LEDs mounted within a front panel produced by molding a non-conductive synthetic resin are handled by an operator, it may occur that static electrical charges are intruded from the operator into the electric circuit through LED elements as noise to produce malfunctions or destruct various driving circuits,
For this reason, it is a frequent occurrence in the manufacture of electronic apparatus to take anti-static measures such as by bonding a metal piece in the form of a spring sheet or an electrically conductive foil or by applying an electrically conductive paint to the LEDs. However, such bonding or coating are not desirable because the number of the manufacturing steps is thereby increased.
On the other hand, for preventing static charges from being introduced into the elements of the LEDs, it is a frequent practice to provide the LEDs within a recessed part of the main body of the electronic apparatus so as not to protrude out of the front panel surface and to attach a piece of a transparent or semi-transparent acrylic photoconductive material to the front panel for conducting the light from the LEDs to the front panel surface. However, in such case, the light from the LEDs tends to be lowered in intensity due to passage through the piece of the photoconductive material to darken the display on the front panel surface. Consequently, in order for the display on the front panel surface to be as bright as possible, it is necessary that the LEDs be mounted at mounting positions as close to the front panel surface as possible.